TABUK — Online trade is becoming popular in the Kingdom with the number of e-stores that sell various consumer items increasing almost daily. There are 11,000 e-stores registered in Marouf, an initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Investment to support e-commerce, Makkah daily reported. Marouf facilitates the interaction between e-stores and consumers. These stores are varied in their industries as some are in the culinary arts and food industry, others are in retail, cars, real estate and much more. There are 2,231 e-stores registered under marketing, 1,847 for miscellaneous items, 1,558 for women's accessories, 378 for hand-made products, 253 for furniture and décor, 547 for parties and occasions, 715 for printing and design, and 167 academic services and others. Marouf allows consumers to review the stores and comment about their services. The initiative increases reliability and trust between the consumer and the seller. The initiative also gives the seller the opportunity to reach large sections of consumers. The Ministry of Commerce and Investment is encouraging all e-store owners to register under Marouf. Maroof is a free e-service that guarantees data confidentiality of users. Subscription is only a matter of seconds through the website: www.maroof.sa. The ministry warned consumers against buying from platforms that are not registered with Marouf. The initiative protects customer rights and ensures all stores available are legal and reliable, the ministry said.
